Can bodymaker



July l0, 1945. N, GEERTSEN 2,379,898

CAN BODY MAKER Filed June 5, 1941 mg-.2A y 7 INVENTOR m; ZM/2m nZ/M. wm

ATTORN EYS Patented July 10, 1945 CAN BODYMAKER Nelson Geertsen,Chicago, Ill., assigner to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New Jersey Application June 5, 1941, serial No. 396,759

(on. 15a-J1) 1Claim.

'I'he present invention relates to can body making machines and hasparticular reference to beading can bodies while forming them into canbody shape.

In the manufacture of certain kinds of can bodies it is often desirableto form a plurality of spaced beads in the body to give it addedstrength or rigidity. Numerous ways have been suggested for formingthese reenforcing beads in a body but always added operations or stepsof manufacture have been necessary to bring it about.

The instant invention contemplates overcoming this difficulty by formingthese body beads at the body forming station in a body making machinewithout any extra steps of manufac-` ture.

An object therefore of the invention is the provision of a body makingmachine wherein the can body is beaded while it is being formed into canbody shape so that no extra operations are needed to form the beads.

Another object is the provision of such a machine having a roll formingdevice for forming can bodies into tubular body shape wherein the feedrollers of the device are formed to produce the beads in the bodieswhile the bodies are being formed thereby eliminating any extra orseparate bead forming operations in the machine.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas itis better under-g stood from the following description, which,taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferredembodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a partially finished can body havingreenforcing beads formed therein by the machine embodying the instantinvention;

Fig. 2 is a, vertical longitudinial section of a portion of a bodyforming or shaping station of a, can body making machine embodying thein-v stant invention, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially alongthe line 3--3 in Fig. 2,

Y with parts broken away, and

Fig. 4 is a. fragmentary plan view of one of the bead forming rollers inassociation with another part of the roll forming device.

As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention the drawingillustrates principal parts of a cylindrical can body forming machine ofthe character disclosed in United States Patent 2,047,964, issued July21, 1936, to J. M. Hothersall,

on Electric welding. In such a machine flat can body blanks A of sheetmaterial are advanced endwise into the grip of a pair of feedingrollers, of a. forming or curling device B, which feeds the blankagainst a deector element C.

The defiector element curls the blank into a partially finished, shapedcylindrical can body 'D after which the side seam edges are broughttogether in overlapping fashion and are united by welding to produce thecompleted can body. In the instant invention the can body D is formedwith a plurality of reenforcing beads E while it is being curled intoshape.

The fiat blanks A are fed in timed order ont a supporting table I Iformed as a part of a frame I2 which may be the main frame of themachine. While on the table, a, blank is advanced transversely thereoftoward the forming device B by a. feed dog I5 disposed in a movable feedbar I6. The feed bar slides in a groove Il formed in the top of thetable.

The feed bar I6 is reciprocated in timed order in its groove Il throughthe medium of a rack section I8 which extends down through an opening I9formed in the table I I. The rack meshes with a gear segment 2I formedon the upper end of a vertically disposed operating arm 22. This arm maybe rocked by any suitable means operating in time with the other movingparts of the machine.

When the arm 22 rocks toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 3, it slidesthe feed bar I6 in that direction. Thus the feed dog I5 carried thereonengages behind the blank A on the table II and feeds it into the canbody forming device B. A hold-down bar 23 disposed above the table I Iprevents upward displacement of the blank during this feeding operation.

The body forming device B includes a pair of cooperating rollerscomprising an upper pressure roller 26 and a lower feed roller 21 whichare disposed adjacent the table II so that the body blank A may bereadily brought into position between them. These rollers are formedwith trunnions 28 which are journaled in bearing blocks 29 secured in abracket 3l bolted to the main frame I-2.

The rollers 28, 21 are rotated in unison preferably at a greater speedthan that at which the blank is fed into position by the feed bar sothat the blank may be rapidly formed and shifted out of the way of thenext following blank. This rotation is brought about by a pair ofmeshing spur gears 32 carried on the trunnions 28 adjacent one end ofthe rollers. The gears may be rotated in any suitable manner.

When the blank A on the table l I is fed toward the forming device B,its leading edge is introduced into the grip of the rollers 2B, 21 andis thereupon drawn in by the rollers which advance it further. Itisduring this feeding or advancing of the blank that the beads E areformed. For this purpose the lower feed roller 21 is formed with aplurality of spaced annular beading projections 35 which cooperate withcorresponding beading grooves 38 formed in the upper pressure roller28.. Thus the blank feed rollers also serve as beading rollers and asthe blank A passes between them they impress the beads E into the blank.

The rollers 28. 21 while feeding and beading the blank A, bring it intoengagement with the deflector element C. 'I'his deilector element Cextends nearly the full width of the rollers 2B, 21 and is located justin front of the rollers. It is adjustable, being bolted to lugs 38 whichextend up from the bracket lll. The deiiector element is supported on awedge block 39 which is bolted for adjustment on an inclined lug 4|.Thus vertical as well as horizontal adjustment is provided.

The inner edge of the element C is formed with a curved defiectingsurface 42. This edge extends close to the rollers and preferably iscastellated to extend into annular clearance grooves 45 formed in thelower feeding and beading roller 2l. These grooves permit of locatingthe inner edge of the deiiector element C slightly below the feed lineof the blank A as it leaves the rollers.

Thus as the beaded blank A I eaves the rollers 2l, 21 it engages againstthe curved surface 42 of the deilecting element C and this bends orcurls the blank into -its desired cylindrical can body shape withoutdistorting the beads already formed in the body. In this manner thefeeding, the beading and the forming of the blank into can body shapeare al1 effected simultaneously.

As the curled or formed blank leaves the deflector element C. it passesaround a horizontal horn or mandrel 4B which is bolted to the main frameI2. A pair of removable side guides or wings 41 extending around andlongitudinally of' the horn and in spaced relation therewith, confinethe shaped blank against displacement from the horn.

The partially formed bodies thus positioned on the horn are immediatelypropelled therealong form no part of the instant invention and thereforea description of these operations will be omitted.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form,

construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its materialadvantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferredembodiment thereof.

I claim:

In a machine for forming tubular can bodies from flat sheet body blanks,the combination of a lower feed roller having spaced annular beading'projections extending entirely around the roller for supporting saidblanks, said feed roller further having an annular clearance groovedisposed between said projections, an upper pressure roller having aplurality of spaced annular beading grooves corresponding in shape andposition to the beading projections of said feed roller and co operatingtherewith for feeding and beading a body blank as the latter passesbetween said rollers, and a deilector element having an edge thereof ofcastellated configuration extending closely adjacent the bight of saidrollers for engaging and deflecting the leading edge of a flat sheetbody blank out of its plane as said blank is fed by said rollers, saidcastellated portion of the deilecting element having an upper surfaceextending into said clearance groove to constitute with the peripheralsurface of said lower feed roller on opposite sides of said clearancegroove a 'substantially continuous composite sheet supporting surfaceextending longitudinally of said feed roller, whereby the sheet blank isuniformly beaded substantially simultaneously with its deflection as thesheet passes between said rollers, the castellated edge of saiddeflector element being extended by virtue of said clearance grooveclosely adjacent the bight of the rollers for the described purpose.

NELSON GEERTSEN.

